Owning Up
by Dansleforet
Summary: With his father missing, Artha feels overwhelmed with his duties as an older brother/world's saviour on top of the guilt and shame of ignoring the warning signs. How can he find the resolve to make things right again? Takes place during The Choosing Part 2. One-shot. Family fluff.


**Disclaimer: I don't own the Dragon Booster franchise. All rights reserved.**

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Artha leaned back in his father's chair resignedly, his head resting on the chair and his gaze on the blackened ceiling. He couldn't remember feeling so drained, and he normally spent his days exercising, grooming, and cleaning up after dragons. The teen hoped to find something in his father's office to help him understand what happened to his old man; it was the last place Connor had been before the attack and where he kept "sensitive information". Though DC Security had already gone through the place and found nothing useful, Artha had to be sure there was nothing left.

Now he was.

Artha thought back to the first time the Dragon Eyes tried to steal Beau. At the time, he didn't take the failed theft seriously; it's not like his family didn't see it coming. So Artha was surprised when his dad started moving all of their dragons. Even weirder was that his father didn't move Beau, the actual target of the attack. Artha questioned his father but he got the same answer as when Connor gave him the amulet: in case something happens. It was clear Connor wouldn't change his mind so the teen shrugged it off, figuring his dad was being paranoid. Turned out his old man was right all along - things were way more serious than Artha could have imagined. _He saw all this coming_, Artha realized. _He wanted Beau here to protect Lance and me. Beau could take it - it was what he was trained for._

_Dad would have prepared me too, if I let him._

Artha grimaced at his own bull-headedness. He had his reasons for disliking dragons since his mother died but it got to the point where Artha couldn't be bothered to care about or for them. That was exactly the problem. If he cared enough, Artha would have seen the signs before it was too late. _Could I have been more blind?_ he wondered. _Because I felt sorry for myself, I missed everything. Dad could have really used my help but ... I let him down. _Beau_ was more reliable than I was. Beau … I've been hating on him since we were kids but he pulled through and saved my life. Not only that - he got Lance and me to safety._ Shame burned Artha's eyes. _I've been an idiot. And Dad paid the price, maybe even the ultimate one._ Frowning, Artha opened his eyes. He desperately hoped his father was alive but it had been weeks since his disappearance and no news about him turned up. He wasn't checked in at any hospital or morgue, no useful leads turned up, and there hadn't been any ransom demands. Maybe it was time to accept the possibility that his father was no longer alive. _What am I going to tell Lance?_

_Probably that life goes on_, Artha realized. Even if their dad died, Artha would find him, take care of Lance, and prevent a dragon-human war. But … how was he supposed to do all that exactly? Who would willingly help Artha find out what happened that night? The police weren't much help, especially after they realized they were dealing with Moordryd Paynn, son of the rich and powerful CEO of Paynn Incorporated. _Seriously, guys like Moordryd give well-off kids a bad name,_ Artha thought bitterly. On top of that, there was all this stuff about releasing the dragon that was somehow that key to his work as Dragon Booster. Parm didn't understand either but, luckily, his mom had a few answers. Apparently the Dragon Priests believed that all humans had a symbolic dragon in them that represented power and responsibility. They also believed that people were neglecting that part of them and their own dragons. _I definitely was._ Artha and Parm concluded that it was the Dragon Booster's job to raise awareness about that inner dragon and to encourage people to respect dragons in general. _Easier said than done_, Artha thought. _What will it take to make people respect dragons when we manipulate them every chance we get?_

There was one person who could have helped, being raised by priests and all. Artha raised his head from the chair and glanced at the desk. He reached out for the damaged photo - the only one left of Artha with his brother and father. He sighed. _Dad, what happened to you?_ Artha thought. _I was_ chosen,_ Dad. I'm the Dragon Booster. I don't know how, but I'm gonna stop the dragon-human war, and I'm gonna take care of Lance too until we-_ Artha's thoughts were interrupted by a creak of the door. He sat up, startled out of his thoughts. Lance stood at the door, clearly upset.

"Where's Dad?" Lance asked sadly.

Artha stood up and reached out to his younger brother._ Time to start doing right._ "Hey, come over here, Lance. We need to talk." Lance walked over and Artha enveloped him in a hug.

"To be honest, I don't know," Artha admitted. "The police couldn't find any clues and neither could I." He let Lance go and motioned him towards the chair. Artha leaned against the burned table as Lance got comfortable. "There weren't any signs of a struggle anywhere. No clues to let us guess where he went. It's like Dad just … vanished."

"Is he …?" Lance trailed off.

"Dead?" Artha finished gently. Lance squeezed his eyes tearfully and nodded. "I don't know. No one asked for a ransom, he didn't show up in any morgues or hospitals, and all leads the police got were useless at best. Someone out there has to know something but they're keeping it to themselves."

"So...it could go either way?"

Artha nodded. "Yeah. We don't know enough to be certain about anything. I have the feeling that one piece of info links everything together. We find that and we'll figure out what's going on."

"If only we could go back in time and read Dad's mind," Lance said, sniffing. "He knew something big was coming, didn't he?"

Artha was surprised. He didn't realize his ten year old brother noticed their dad's odd behaviour before the fire. "Yeah, he did. He tried to prepare us the best he could." Squeezing the amulet, Artha sighed. "The signs were all there. I was too stubborn to see them."

"Artha, don't-"

"Lance, listen to me," Artha interrupted. "The attack wasn't meant to cripple Penn stables; its purpose was to get Beau. For once, humans didn't matter. It was all about the dragons."

"And you hate dragons," Lance said, understanding quickly.

"Hated," Artha corrected. "I don't feel that way anymore. The fact of the matter is that if I wasn't so - I think Parm would say obstinate - I could have helped. Instead, Dad faced this threat alone. Whatever state he's in now … it may have been because I wasn't there to help." Artha's throat constricted, obstructing his words. Saying this out loud is harder than thinking it.

"Artha-," Lance pleaded, choking on his words. A few tears escaped from his eyes. He stopped speaking when Artha put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"The attack wasn't my fault but the outcome might have been. In any case, I messed up by neglecting the dragon within me. The only thing I can do - the only thing any of us can do - is to learn and live meaningfully. It's the only way to show Dad, wherever he is, that we're fine and that we'll find him no matter how long it takes. It also sends the message to whoever did this that we're only getting stronger." Artha smiled confidently. Lance stared at his brother, transfixed. "From here on out, we have only one mission. We'll spread the word to anyone willing to listen that a war is coming and the only way to prevent it is by releasing the dragon. Along the way, we'll find out what happened to Dad and we'll bring him back."

Lance smiled widely and nodded. A thoughtful expression interrupted the smile. He said, "What if the Dragon Priests know something?"

"No doubt they do," Artha said, "but finding them is difficult at best."

"But Dad knows where they are. They raised him, didn't they? What if he left to find them? What if he's looking for help?"

"Good thinking," Artha said, slightly surprised. _Why didn't I think of that?_ The priesthood was a very secretive group; if Connor went to them, he would have to cover his tracks well. "Though he would have told us if he did."

"Maybe there wasn't time," Lance said, shrugging.

Artha frowned at the ground. "That still doesn't explain why he hasn't contacted us. Whether he found the priesthood or not, he wouldn't leave us hanging like this. Something is still wrong," he said. He looked up and saw Lance's crestfallen expression. "Still, that's our best idea so far. I'll ask Mrs. Sean if she knows anything about finding the Dragon Priests. If not, maybe I can get their attention as the Dragon Booster."

"Beau could probably help too as the only Star-Class dragon on the planet," Lance said hopefully. "There's no way the priests would ignore him."

Artha nodded, smiling at his younger brother. "Once we have their trust, we can ask them if they saw Dad. Even if they haven't seen him, we could use their help with the search. You feel better, bro?"

Lance nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely. Thanks, Artha."

"You're welcome, Lance."

Lance hopped off the chair. He quickly hugged his brother and ran out the door. Artha was surprised by the hug but he smiled and left the dark room. He was headed to Parm and Lance when he noticed Beau pressing his head against the wall of his stall. _What the …?_ Artha asked himself. He approached Beau. "Beau?" he asked cautiously. Beau looked at him. "What is it, boy? What's wrong?" As the teen spoke, his dragon moved his head close to the wall again. Artha realized his dragon wasn't pressing his head against the stall - he was looking through a hole in the wall. Artha leaned to the side, trying to get a better view.

Beau moved his head to a hook, pushing it. The wall split open like a large mouth, bright light spilling through. Artha was shocked. _Since when was _this_ part of the stables?_ Beau walked into the light, which practically swallowed him. "Beau? Beau!" Artha called, beckoning his dragon back. Beau's tail shot out, wrapped itself around Artha and pulled him in. "Bea- whooaa!"

In a nearby stall, Parm paused. Holding some gear, he straightened and looked around him, frowning in thought. Lance noticed the weird behaviour. He paused his Battle Ground Dragon game and stared at the tall geek. "What's up, Parm?" he asked.

"Hm. That's odd. I thought I heard something." He looked at the young readhead. "Did you hear anything?"

Lance shrugged and shook his head.

"Well, that's because you're too concentrated on that game. Turn it off, now," Parm demanded.

"Aw. Just let me finish this one game. Please?" He gave Parm his best puppy face but Parm seemed to be immune.

"That's what you said 20 minutes before you went to see Artha. You know we have to leave soon and at this rate we'll never-"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Lance said. "Though we'd finish faster if Artha helped too," he grumbled quietly.

"What did you say?" Parm asked.

"Nothing," Lance replied, quickly turning off the game. He stood up and wiped the dust off the seat of his pant bottoms. "So, what do you need?"

Parm set Lance off to find a mag rack for the gear. With Lance distracted, Parm looked at the house for his best friend. "Where are you?" he asked quietly. "He probably needs a little more time alone," Parm thought aloud. He went back to Cyrano, adjusting the saddle.

Such it was once the Dragon Eye crew attacked for the second time and right before Artha received the Dragon Booster gauntlet. The rest is history.

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**Author's note: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed my little take on that first big Artha/Lance moment. I always wished to know what happened after Artha said, "We need to talk," so I guess this was my way of finding out. XD This is my first story so please let me know how you felt about it. I'd really appreciate some fresh insight. :D Thanks again. **


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